"Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue" Now in its Second Edition

Posted on 8/14/2019

The new book launches at a Shanghai book fair on August 14.

Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue, which has received much attention from the numismatic world, has been officially updated with its second edition, injecting new vitality into the modern Chinese gold and silver coin collection market.

In their early days, Chinese modern gold and silver coins were issued for overseas markets. Before 1999, they were essentially produced according to the orders from overseas distributors. They were rarely sold in China, so the actual mintage of a large number of coins was a mystery, and it was difficult to verify the exact figures.

The editorial committee of the "Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue", after many years of investigation and study of documentation, is publishing the actual mintage of early gold and silver coins for the first time. This adds to its reputation as an authoritative reference for studying Chinese modern gold and silver coins. Published in early 2018, the first edition received unprecedented praise, and was regarded as a must-have book by the domestic and foreign coin collector community.

Mints, numismatic research institutions, coin designers and engravers, and numismatic museums in China also use this book as a reference. Current and former leaders of the People's Bank of China, the Anti-Counterfeiting Office of the State Council, China Gold Coin Incorporation, the China Numismatic Museum and the official Mints have written prefaces or reviews for the book. The authors of the book are all internationally renowned numismatic collectors and scholars. Among them, Mr. Leo Wang and Mr. King L Chan are senior consultants with Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), an internationally renowned coin grading company. Another author, Mr. Jerry Lin, also works as a coin grader at NGC.

On the basis of the first edition, the new edition has included all the Chinese gold and silver coins issued in 2018, including pandas, Chinese zodiac and commemorative coins of other themes. The layout and organization still follow the principle of combining ease of use with practicality. Detailed information on the size, the material, the mintage, and the reference price of the coin is listed as before. The reference price of gold and silver coins issued before 2018 has also been adjusted and updated to meet the needs of collectors to know about the latest trends in market prices, and it also reflects the commitment and the mission of the editorial committee to serve the reader.

A lot of varieties are also added to the new edition. The differences between the varieties are shown by high-resolution images in detail. Readers can see them at a glance, making the identification of varieties fairly easy. The total number of the varieties listed in the second edition will exceed 150, among which the new ones will be added to NGC VarietyPlus, a service used by collectors from all over the world, as soon as possible after further research by NGC.

The varieties will be identified according to the “CC” catalogue numbers indicated in the book on NGC certification labels. The CC catalogue number is also gradually being recognized and used by international auction companies, which is a great help to collectors to clarify the value of rarities and make them easier to trade. The quality of the images of the new edition has also been improved.

The book is priced at 378 RMB. During the launching period, there are also incentives. A 2019 China Gold and Silver Collectors Appreciation Medal is available with book purchases made through official channels. The medal is engraved and designed by the famous Chinese coin art and craft master Yu Min. The design of the medal is inspired by both the Chinese calligraphy coins (official script) and the Chinese Master Artisan gold and silver coins issued in 2018. The bimetallic commemorative medals are limited to 3,000 pieces, all encapsulated by NGC with special labels, reflecting the perfect combination of modern and classical art.

As an important work in the field of numismatics, the authors of the book have also been specially invited by the Shanghai Book Fair. On August 14, the new book launching ceremony and on-site signing activity will be held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in the piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.